Strategy and Tactics
by 325270
Summary: Armin has a crush. Armin, in fact, has a crush on YOU. And he has just the perfect strategy to get you to be his.


"WHY?!" You screamed in agony."WHY DOES STRATEGY _HAVE-TO-BE-SO-HARD_!?"

With every word, you slammed the book of tactics you were forced to study after you bombed the test, into the wall.

You were the type of person who always lost in chess matches as a child, AND STILL DO! You were fairly smart, and athletic. A quick learner, also.

Horseback riding, you mastered that with ease. You got down the balancing part for the 3DMG on the first day and perfected the maneuvering with the 3DMG in a matter of a few weeks. Your endurance was stellar, as you could keep up with the Mikasa, Eren, Annie, Jean, Sasha and the other top 10 people who were almost always at the front of the pack. You were average in hand-to-hand combat, but nonetheless, still pretty good at it.

But strategy...you got chills even thinking about it.

You were a terrible tactician. You prefered to participate in the plan, rather than creating it.

Everyone was in the girls cabin had passed that stupid test with average to above average marks and was in the neighboring woods, flying and slashing practice titans while you were cooped up in the cabin studying your worst subject, STRATEGY AND TACTICS.

You shouted in frustration, and threw the textbook across the room. You scattered the notes and crumpled them, throwing a temper tantrum.

But in the end, you picked them all up. You smoothed out the dog ears on the textbook, and tried to make the crumpled papers nice and neat again, but you knew it would never be the same.

You slammed your head onto the desk and yelped. "Why did I have to do that?" You sighed, "It only made me stupider."

Hearing the door open, you turned your head and saw the females file into the cabin, sweat rolling down their temples. Annie, who was a few bunks away from you wiped her sweat with her towel hanging from her bedpost and began to peel off her training corps jacket.

You turned away, focusing on the tactic notes.

"Y/N," Krista said, tapping your shoulder. "We're going to the mess hall for dinner and afterwards we're have an evening jog." She told you, "I get that you aren't going to be allowed to the mess hall until you're finished studying." She flickered her gaze onto your notes, which in all honesty, you haven't finished writing down.

"Yes." You answered, covering your paper with your hand. "Okay. Do you want me to get you some dinner? It's buttered bread and stew tonight." Krista offered. "Yeah. Thank you, Krista. You are very nice." You gave her your most grateful smile, and directed your attention to one of the strategies for peace while talking to an angered citizen.

"You're welcome." You heard the short blonde say and hurry to join the group of females.

* * *

Armin noticed that you weren't there for either 3DMG practice in the woods, or dinner.

When Mikasa slid into the seat beside of Eren, the blond boy took the opportunity to ask about you.

"Y/N? Oh, she's in the cabin, Armin." Mikasa answered vaguely, before scooping some stew into her mouth.

"Why?" Armin frowned, his eyebrows knitting together. "Is she sick?"

Mikasa took another sip of the stew. "She failed her strategy test so she's being forced to study. She can't participate in training until she passes the next test, which is tomorrow." The black haired girl explained to him then raising her spoon up to lips.

A smirk rose to his lips.

Strategy, eh?

"Eren." Mikasa said, setting her spoon down. "Slow down, you're going to choke."

Armin raised a brow, and his vision fixed itself upon his best friend. The sight of Eren stuffing his mouth with the buttered bread was amusing.

Mikasa and Armin shared smiles.

"Eren, you're such a pig!" Jean jeered from the table on the left.

"SAYS THE HORSE!" Eren shouted, angrily after he swallowed the bread.

Armin buried his face in his palms.

"TAKE THAT BACK!" Jean snapped.

"I WON'T! MAKE ME!" Yelled the green-eyed boy.

"MY FIST WILL MAKE YOU!" Jean threatened, getting up.

"Psst. Really?" Eren scoffed, getting up as well. "You gonna say that when you're in the Military Police Brigade?" Eren mocked Jean in a whiny voice. "YOU BASTARD!" Jean shouted, throwing a punch at Eren.

Armin sighed, and got up along with Mikasa. Instead of helping her stop the fighting, he left the mess hall with the tray in his hands. Before he left, Armin heard a loud thump and groans. He assumed Mikasa had taken care of everything by carrying both the boys on her shoulders and throwing them into the wall like she did when things got out of hand.

* * *

Your stomach growled ferociously.

"Where is Krista?" You thought out loud, "I'm hungry."

You heard the door open, and you sprang onto your feet. "Krista! Thank you so mu-"

Instead of finding the small, blonde, blue-eyed girl, you came face to face with Armin, the one who always got the highest marks for strategy and your secret crush.

You gulped turning into a complete Jean-with-Mikasa. "Um, A-Armin. Why are you here?"

Dang it, Y/N! You sound like you don't want him here! You chided yourself.

"I came to help you study for the test, Y/N!" Armin said, smiling. "Also, I brought you some food."

You thanked him, and brought him to the desk.

"What are having trouble with?" Armin asked tentatively. "Oh.." You said, "Um..everything." He let out an adorable laugh. "Okay then. Let's start with page one."

"You are in a life and death situation." He reads from the textbook. "You are out of gas, your friend is injured badly and you are a few miles away from civilization. There are 4 five and seven metre titans on the left and 1 fifteen metre titan on the right. What kind of plan do you make up?"

"Um..." You started, racking your brain over and over again. "You call..um..Mikasa?"

Armin sighed, "What happens if Mikasa wasn't there, or she was the one injured?"

"Annie?" You guessed, shrugging.

He stared at you, emotionless.

"Reiner?"

"Bertolt?"

"Eren?"

"Jean?"

"Marco?"

"How long are you gonna keep doing that?" Armin asked.

"Sorry." You told him and ducked your head down. Way to embarrass yourself, Y/N! You slapped yourself mentally.

Armin shook his head."The correct answer is you wait until the titans are gone, and take your friend's gas to make a flare to signal the civilization."

"Whoops." You smiled bashfully.

"It's okay. Eren was kinda like that..except for the fact he would scream 'kill all the titans!' and charge like the reckless idiot he is." Armin joked. You stifled a laugh, and then reached for the bread.

"Is it okay I take that?" You asked him shyly. He nodded, "Go ahead, help yourself."

You bit the first slice quickly and noticed Armin's staring. "Oh, I'm sorry, Armin. Are you hungry? Here." You shoved the bread into his mouth before he could refuse.

His jaw unclenched and he took some of the bread.

He blushed a deep berry.

"What?" You said. He quickly swallowed, and brushed it off. "Nothing, Y/N. Let's keep studying."

"Okay then..."

He licked the crumbs and butter off his lips and then flipped the page.

"Page 2. You see a comrade in danger, do you: a) jump in and help them b) Tell them to look out, while they distract the threat and you eliminate it or c) call others for help, send them to rescue the comrade and eliminate the threat with other comrades?" Armin said.

"Uh..." You thought about it. A was too reckless, C could take too much time. So option B.

"B." You answered.

"Why is that?" He questioned.

"Um..Because..A was too reckless, and C could take too much time, so I used the process of elimination to get my answer."

He nodded, "Not bad..considering your last test score and your last answer."

"Hey." You pouted, "41 isn't too bad.."

He arched a handsome brow, "_Isn't too bad?_"

Armin laughed and ruffled your hair, "You're so cute, Y/N."

You blushed.

"The correct answer was C. If your comrade was in danger there must have been some others too because we are taught never to let our comrades fight alone.

He closed the book and stared at you directly.

"Umm...A-Armin?" You stammered.

He smirked, "A boy likes this girl and he knows that she likes him back. What does he do?"

"Armin, how does this apply to strategy and tactics?" You asked, dumbfoundedly. He shook his head and laughed."Y/N, strategy and tactics aren't always used in battle."

He leaned a bit closer, "The correct answer is he tutors her in her worst subject, which is strategy, and also, the boy's best subject to spend time with her alone."

"W-what?"

"I like you."

"Armin-"

"I like you a lot, Y/N."

"You didn't let me finish-"

"Y/N, you aren't really good at hiding your feelings. I know that. And based on your actions and expressions, I believe the feeling is mutual."

"Armin." You started, suppressing a huge smile. "The answer is, correct."

"Armin." You said again, but he placed a delicate finger on your lips and shushed you.

When he removed his finger, you realized that you were extremely close to Armin. So close, that your noses were touching. He smiled and fluttered his eyes closed.

You did the same.

Armin's lips were soft and tasted like butter, which kinda made sense because you both ate some buttered bread. He was gentle, and didn't force you into something that you weren't comfortable doing.

The kiss was pure, and chaste.

Innocent, platonic, something that was truly the opposite of the cruel world out there.

He cupped your face, and brought you closer.

Your skin prickled from his touch.

It just made you melt.

You both pulled away, and smiled at each other.

He slung an arm around you and stole a peck from your cheek.

"C'mon." He said, "We still have a lot of studying to do!"

You laughed, and opened the textbook. "Okay, Armin."

Strategy suddenly became your favourite subject.

The next day you got an A on your strategy test and a boyfriend.


End file.
